In the market for an 08-12 S3... Some questions...

[Michael O'Connor]

Hi guys

So this idea had kind of gone out of the window when I lost my job in May, but having now gotten another, much more secure job it's back in I'm going to take the next year to save up and upgrade my lovely little A3 to a 3 door, manual S3. Preferably the 08-12 model, but will go for a 2007 model too if it's a good example. Budget is around 13k, though I've seen lots of examples for a little less. These questions are way in advance but they're on my mind all the same and keep coming up every time I look at some potential dealers, price ranges on autotrader etc...

1. I'm looking for a model with 60k mileage or less. I've seen a examples with this, but then '4+ owners'. Given the fairly low mileages, this put me off somewhat. I know it's a 'hot hatch' and a popular car but I'd prefer to buy one that's been kept by 1 or 2 people from new, as opposed to loads of people that have ragged it for a year then sold it on. Is this justified or something that would put you off?

2. There are a fair few from trade sellers. When and before buying my A3, I found trade sellers to not be very trustworthy. For example, selling cars for far more than they're worth, one salesman saying a car had 1 previous owner then another one slipping up and saying it's had 3, refusing to let me get someone to inspect before buying etc. It's something I'm going to have to play by ear I guess, but what would you go for, trade or private?

The main advantage of going with a trade seller for me is that I could P/X my A3 and essentially go for a slightly higher priced model, not have to mess around selling and being without a car, or buying then still having to mess around selling my A3. Given that it was a demo model at the dealership the 1st owner bought it from, it's got a pretty high spec (full leather, sat nav, foglights) that no other models of the config have. So I'd get a good price for it I reckon.

3. Last random question; I'd love a model with the wingback seats in. Were these available on the 08-12 3 door models?

 

[samuelh_888]

To be honest, in a years’ time the 2013/14 S3 8V would be in range of your budget.

Get a Sportback with Super Sport seats, as close to the 8P Wingbacks (I’m not sure if they spec’ed Wingbacks in the 8V).

 

[-Ju-]

i think you'd struggle to get an S3 8V for £13k in a year's time, especially one that's been cared for.
I have an 8V now, the tech is way more advanced and it's a brilliant car but I yearn for an 8P again to the point where I'm considering going back.
The facelift is a nicer looking car with the led drl's and has the later haldex. Wingbacks are available across all models but are rare and I doubt you'd get one with all the boxes ticked along side them.
Keep an eye on the forum for enthusiast cars for sale as you can get a better feel for it's history.
Performance cars tend to change hands more frequently, not because they've been ragged, but owners tend to have there eyes turned easily towards the next car.
I also wouldn't get fixated over mileage, mine had 90k+ when my eyes were turned to the 8V but it was as sweet as any out there.

 

[ch1z64]

I would 2nd the posters above answer as i think paying around £13,000 to £15,000 for a decent S3 is a bit much where you would be better to go for one 3 / 4 years younger than the 18 reg and trade in your A3 and add that little extra cash as you will get a better motor

I would find someone who has a vcd's cable and ask the seller if he minded if you done an autoscan as it will show the true milage off car and any faults that are in the car and as you said go for 1 with low milage , maxium 2 owners and has a excellent service history . All the best in yoir quest

 

[Michael O'Connor]

To be honest, in a years’ time the 2013/14 S3 8V would be in range of your budget.

Get a Sportback with Super Sport seats, as close to the 8P Wingbacks (I’m not sure if they spec’ed Wingbacks in the 8V).

Thanks. I've seen a few 8v ones and I don't think they'd be in my price range in a years time. Even a fairly high mileage not great example was about £18k on Autotrader. I know the engines in the 8v are more powerful and the technology is great in them, but I personally don't like the 2013/14 models, just not really that keen on the angular looks of them, I feel like they look too much like a cross between a current shape Merc and BMW. The brand new ones with the facelift headlights are nice but far, far out of my budget. I do like the super sport seats, although I've been told those and the wingback seats are huge thief magnets, on top of the almost legendary thief magnet status the S3 already has haha.

 

[Michael O'Connor]

i think you'd struggle to get an S3 8V for £13k in a year's time, especially one that's been cared for.
I have an 8V now, the tech is way more advanced and it's a brilliant car but I yearn for an 8P again to the point where I'm considering going back.
The facelift is a nicer looking car with the led drl's and has the later haldex. Wingbacks are available across all models but are rare and I doubt you'd get one with all the boxes ticked along side them.
Keep an eye on the forum for enthusiast cars for sale as you can get a better feel for it's history.
Performance cars tend to change hands more frequently, not because they've been ragged, but owners tend to have there eyes turned easily towards the next car.
I also wouldn't get fixated over mileage, mine had 90k+ when my eyes were turned to the 8V but it was as sweet as any out there.

Yeah I really love the tech in the 8V but just love the look of the 8P. Like I love the look my A3 has now I've changed some bits on it, but I need some more power as I find myself constantly flooring it haha, which just about satisfies me in 1st and 2nd gear around and A roads, but beyond that it's not powerful enough ha. I'm not set on the wingbacks. I was looking on facebook marketplace earlier and saw a couple 8P models with the wingbacks in them, but as I said above someone told me they're a huge thief magnet. Kind of makes sense as after some google searches most of them seem to me £2k upwards for a pair! That sets my mind at ease more about the owners and mileage though, cheers! I've seen lots with 60-90k mileage in a slightly lower price range of less than £10k.

 

[Michael O'Connor]

I would 2nd the posters above answer as i think paying around £13,000 to £15,000 for a decent S3 is a bit much where you would be better to go for one 3 / 4 years younger than the 18 reg and trade in your A3 and add that little extra cash as you will get a better motor

I would find someone who has a vcd's cable and ask the seller if he minded if you done an autoscan as it will show the true milage off car and any faults that are in the car and as you said go for 1 with low milage , maxium 2 owners and has a excellent service history . All the best in yoir quest

Thanks, yeah after a bit more searching I've noticed lots of 8P models are more around the 9/10k mark. I think one was a little under 13k which had 30k mileage, and there was a black edition that was around £15k, although I'm not overly keen on the 'murdered out' look of the black edition. I'm definitely going to go for one in the 9-12k price range though! Autotrader values my current car at around 2k for P/X value, but that's without the sat nav, full leather interior, foglights, upgraded OEM alloys etc. So I think it would fetch around 3k with those, maybe more who knows.

So my plan would now be to save up around 10k, have the P/X value on top for the car, then any money remaining I'd put on the insurance and probably some kind of good immobiliser, I've seen one called a ghost immobiliser which looks amazing.

Are there any key things to look for/ be aware of/ check when buying a used 8P S3?

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[-Ju-]

Don't bank on the extras adding to your part ex value, dealers don't generally care.
The 8P is a generally sound car but check the servicing has been done at the correct intervals as most will be on the long life oil changes and that can cause issues with premature wear fron a blocked oil pick up pipe.
If going dsg, make sure the gearchanges are smooth with no nasty noises as they can be £££'s to fix.
Also check the 4wd system works as the pumps are known to fail.
The engine in the 8P is strong though and responds well to tuning. My 2+ S3 8P felt every bit as quick as the MTM S3 8V I have now

 

[ch1z64]

If you have never driven the S3 get soneone to go along with you and let them try it and then you and compare what you both think and as the member above says check all first before parting with your hard earned cash plus another thing shop around insurance companys before you buy to see what ur letting yourself in for ( an awesome car i have to say ) but pricey to fix and most 2nd hand parts are at top end prices as its an Audi

 

[Michael O'Connor]

Don't bank on the extras adding to your part ex value, dealers don't generally care.
The 8P is a generally sound car but check the servicing has been done at the correct intervals as most will be on the long life oil changes and that can cause issues with premature wear fron a blocked oil pick up pipe.
If going dsg, make sure the gearchanges are smooth with no nasty noises as they can be £££'s to fix.
Also check the 4wd system works as the pumps are known to fail.
The engine in the 8P is strong though and responds well to tuning. My 2+ S3 8P felt every bit as quick as the MTM S3 8V I have now

Haha fair enough. We buy any car value it at £2300 with the leather seats and sat nav, I didn't put the upgraded 18" tonal alloys down though so if that was the case with a dealer too, then I'd put the original 16" alloys back on, would quite like my Ronal 5-arm ones on an S3 in future I'm not too fussed about DSG... launch control looks like fun and the fast gear changes are good, but I'd definitely miss the engagement of a manual gearbox.

How would one go about checking the Quattro system on an S3? Btw is the Quattro system on an S3 true 4wd or haldex?

 

[Michael O'Connor]

If you have never driven the S3 get soneone to go along with you and let them try it and then you and compare what you both think and as the member above says check all first before parting with your hard earned cash plus another thing shop around insurance companys before you buy to see what ur letting yourself in for ( an awesome car i have to say ) but pricey to fix and most 2nd hand parts are at top end prices as its an Audi

Ah I don't know anyone who's driven an S3 before. I'd imagine the mechanic who does work on my car has though, that would really kill two birds with one stone as I'd want him to check the car over first before buying anyway!

I've done a little shopping around (only compare the market), putting my age as how old I'll be next year, how old my licence will be and between 1 and 2 years NCD and was given a quote of £1353, up to around £1500 with breakdown cover and other aids! A fair amount, although I was paying a little over £1700 this year with the A3.

What are the general running costs of an 8P S3 like? E.g. Full tank of petrol, maintenance, etc? I've heard they're prettt thirsty on fuel and oil haha.

 

[Michael O'Connor]

Will defo have to take the upgraded alloys off, I've grown to love that chunky back end and would definitely like to take it with me onto an S3

 

[samuelh_888]

View attachment 162611
Will defo have to take the upgraded alloys off, I've grown to love that chunky back end and would definitely like to take it with me onto an S3

Trade/sell your car with the original alloys on then sell these separately.

I had these on my MY55 A3 several years ago and liked them, but the S3 alloys are more modern and better looking than these.

 

[-Ju-]

The manual might be more engaging but most driving is done in traffic and if you look at the percentage of S3's sold now with Stronic, it's far far more than manual.....that in itself tells you something. Personal choice I know but try one before you dismiss it.
The 4wd system is haldex based and is really why you want the facelift 8P as it's a gen4 unit vs a gen2 in the pfl 8P, It's just improved in its response.
Without vcds the best way to tell is to set off spirited out of a junction, in the wet preferably, with the wheels turned. Anything more than a slight slip is indication of a malfunctioning 4wd system.

Sent from my Note 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Michael O'Connor]

Trade/sell your car with the original alloys on then sell these separately.

I had these on my MY55 A3 several years ago and liked them, but the S3 alloys are more modern and better looking than these.

I'm not so keen on a lot of the alloys on the 8P S3... I like the twin spoke S line wheels but haven't seen them on any 8p ones, most of the ones I've seen on auto trader have either the chunkier twin spokes (not a fan) or rotors (I like them but not on 3 door S3, more the sport back or RS3. I'm not going to go for an 8V as it will be out of my budget and I'm not keen on the look of them, although I do agree the alloys on them look lovely!

 

[Michael O'Connor]

The manual might be more engaging but most driving is done in traffic and if you look at the percentage of S3's sold now with Stronic, it's far far more than manual.....that in itself tells you something. Personal choice I know but try one before you dismiss it.
The 4wd system is haldex based and is really why you want the facelift 8P as it's a gen4 unit vs a gen2 in the pfl 8P, It's just improved in its response.
Without vcds the best way to tell is to set off spirited out of a junction, in the wet preferably, with the wheels turned. Anything more than a slight slip is indication of a malfunctioning 4wd system.

Sent from my Note 8 using Tapatalk

Yeah I just say driving in traffic is the one time I yearn for an automatic. I'll give one a try and see what I think!

Is the facelift model the one with the slightly pointier looking headlights, looks like the bonnet angles down over them more? Or what year was the facelift version from?

Ha I'll have to hope for rain on all the days I try them! But VCDS will outline a fault with the Quattro system right?

 

[-Ju-]

Yeah I just say driving in traffic is the one time I yearn for an automatic. I'll give one a try and see what I think!

Is the facelift model the one with the slightly pointier looking headlights, looks like the bonnet angles down over them more? Or what year was the facelift version from?

Ha I'll have to hope for rain on all the days I try them! But VCDS will outline a fault with the Quattro system right?

The facelift is the one with the led drl's from mid 2008 onwards.
Yes vcds will show up any faults as long as they haven't just been deleted!

Sent from my Note 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Matt268uk]

I think the facelift models arrived in '08 - '12 pretty sure if you take a quick look at the wings and see the indicator repeaters that's pre facelift and the facelift models have the led repeaters incorperated in the wing mirrors.
vcds will only find the faults that have been logged in the ecu and not cleared previously so if you are able to scan it check the dates the fault was logged, then clear them and rescan. You might be lucky that someone from here is not too far from you and would scan it for you. Check out the user map.

 

[ch1z64]

@Michael O'Connor check out this link right up your street and within your budget and full off spec plus from one off the members here ( https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-in-here-do-not-create-a-thread.54549/page-30 )